C.J. Milbrandt's Blog, page 15
May 31, 2022
#amreading Communities
Three Times Lucky is the first of the Mo & Dale Mysteries, set in the small town of Tupelo Landing. It’s smart and funny. I’m looking forward to picking up the rest of the series. The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street is a neighborhood story. The Vanderbeekers are a big family (five kids), who might lose their home because their grouchy landlord won’t renew their lease. Dragon Slippers reminded me a lot of Dealing with Dragons. Creel is sacrificed to a dragon in the hopes that she’ll be married ...
May 26, 2022
Is it Christmas already?
Elza and I love games almost as much as we love reading middle grade books. You’ll find more of these over on Middle Grade Carousel and posting throughout the day on our Twitter account. Follow us and play along! ~CJ
May 24, 2022
#amreading Precariously
Enter the Core wraps up the Max Tilt trilogy. Still following in the footsteps of their ancestor Jules Verne, Max & Co. seek the truth behind Journey to the Center of the Earth. Action-packed adventure with literary tie-ins. Beastkeeper was an odd one. Things are changing and Sarah doesn’t like any of it. Her mother runs away, and her father is getting stranger (and scarier) by the day. When he shuffles her off to her grandmother’s house (a dilapidated tower in the middle of nowhere), it bec...
May 21, 2022
If – Then Reads
One good book can lead to another! Both of these stories involve characters whose choices buck traditions that are gender-based.
May 19, 2022
Do I know you?
Elza and I love games almost as much as we love reading middle grade books. You’ll find more of these over on Middle Grade Carousel and posting throughout the day on our Twitter account. Follow us and play along! ~CJ
May 18, 2022
Harrow Audio
Pre-order! The audio edition of Harrow (Galleries of Stone, #2) narrated by Travis Baldree is now available for pre-order. Release Date: July 5, 2022.
May 17, 2022
#amreading Daringly
George by Alex Gino, will soon be re-releasing as Melissa. Even if nobody else realizes it, George knows she’s a girl. Hiding it is hard. Speaking up is harder. But when she tries out for the part of Charlotte in their grade’s production of Charlotte’s Web, the grown-ups around her begin to take note. In Arlo Finch and the Valley of Fire, Arlo’s family moves back to his mom’s hometown, a tiny place up in the Colorado mountains where things are a little on the strange side. When he joins the ...
May 16, 2022
Describe Yourself
Can you describe yourself with three book characters? I took up the challenge … and summed up my life with three redheads. (No, I do not have red hair.)
Who would you choose?
May 15, 2022
Lock & Key Books
We’re halfway through the month already. Here are my book finds for the themes we set for May.
Day 01 – Key in the Title – There are dozens and dozens of possibilities. I just picked a few that I hadn’t featured anytime recently.
Day 02 – A Door on the Cover – Again, doors are a big deal in middle grade stories. I mean, hey! Portal Fantasy is a huge sub-genre. These are just a few. Look around! There are many, many more.
Day 03 – Inspired by Sherlock Holmes – I see ...
May 14, 2022
#MGCarousel Monthly Theme
Every month, Elza and I pick a theme around which to plan our posts. For May, we went with Lock & Key.
And because I enjoy little challenges, we created a list that embraces the theme in more specific ways. We definitely have fun trying to apply the theme to middle grade books. Piano keys. Locks of hair. Safes & thieves. I share my book finds on Twitter, but I’ll be doing a sort of summary post here, too.
You’re welcome to play along. Just use the #MGCarousel tag when you twee...
